Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Genealogy Hibernation

Yes, you can hibernate and still do genealogical research. It's not as much fun as putting Lil' Red in drive and heading to exciting places, but almost as much fun. My plans to visit YGG #2 in the panhandle of Nebraska have not materialized for a variety of reasons.

First the weather, while nice now, has not been cooperative all fall. We have gone 2 1/2 weeks without snow and everybody is tense wondering when the next blast will hit Nebraska. After three major snowfalls in October, it seems likely that we might get blasted yet this month and into December. Second reason for not taking my excursion ... my knee is still not reliable. I'm pampering and babying it until in January when I will discuss knee replacement with my doctor.

Years ago a lot of people referred to Internet as the "Information Highway." It still is and more so. Have you thought about that? You don't have to pack a suitcase, remember to turn off the coffee maker and fill the car up with gas. The only difference is that Internet doesn't produce all those great "genealogy scents." I still love the smell of the musty, dusty old courthouse basement, lined with volumes of records. I love the smell of spring lilacs in the cemetery. The smell of library books turns me on completely and I can't imagine reading books online in the future and not enjoying the smell of paper and the thrill of turning the pages of a book.

When I was in high school (too many years ago to calculate) I discovered the genealogy section at my local library. It had been relegated to the basement. With plenty of lighting and long tables, who cared where it was located. There were plenty of books, mostly very old and seldom used. The basement had a strong smell of creosote. I never investigated where it was and why, but I still, after all these years, associate creosote with genealogy.

The other half of this team has been doing her usual Swedish research in hibernation and on Internet. The other day I came up with a plan. I was going to tackle some missing names and dates from relatives who lived on Nantucket Island. As some of it was taking shape, I began looking for grave information on FindAGrave, hoping that somebody had taken a photograph of family tombstones. Suddenly a surname looked familiar and brought memories of days of study in high school and college .... MOTT. Yes indeed, after more study and reading and piecing information together, I was able to add Lucretia Coffin Mott, the famous Quaker preacher and abolitionist, into my genealogy program. Welcome Lucretia!

Tonight I will put Lil' Red in drive and head to the library for the genealogy society meeting. All of about three miles there, but won't that be fun? I don't have to go far or look far for genealogy fun. Last night I dreamed about a bear who was watching me from behind a bush. I have never understood the meaning of dreams, but maybe he was trying to tell me that I have hibernated too long!

1 comment:

I kinda like the idea of alternating hibernation during the dead of winter and withering summer heat with genealogy trips in the spring and fall ... not that I've really gotten to do any real genealogy traveling, yet.

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Ruby Coleman, blog partner

Professional genealogist for over 25 years. Instructor of genealogy classes and designer of E-learning genealogy CD's. Lecturer at state and national conferences. Genealogy writer. Mother of two and Grandmother of two. I reside in North Platte, Nebraska.

Cheri Hopkins, blog partner

Retired from owning a sporting good business for 32 years. I now own my own photo business "CHERISHED PHOTO REFLECTIONS", I do photo restorations and Family Remembrance Art. I love history, genealogy research, reading, and collecting old photos. Travel, research and some lecturing also keep me busy. Mother of two and Grandmother of ten. I reside in Alliance, Nebraska.